It's Monday, and it's been a long time since I wrote.  Well, that isn't strictly true.  I have been writing grants at work, which has become one of my new favorite things to do.

The hard part of living here is the lack of a great grocery story (I have mentioned this before).  But tonight I am lucky--I went shopping over the week-end.  I have fresh spinach and mushrooms, potatoes and garlic in the house.  Soon I have potatoes baking.  Which I like a lot.  Potatoes are comfort food extraodinare!  It is so cold out, that a spinach salad sounded like a bad idea.  So instead I sauted the spinach in olive oil with a little garlic and some red pepper flakes (from Penzey's) and mushrooms.  Usually I would top this with Parmesan cheese--but I don't have any in the house.  What I do have is some great mizithra.cheese.  The result is so great that I have decided that I prefer the mizithra over the parmesan.  Next time I think I will throw in some pine nuts or slivered almonds.  A grilled portabella burger and a glass of white wine to finish it off, and I realize I have not been this relaxed in days.  I can feel every cell in my body thanking me for great, healthy food.

I have not been cooking much lately.  This is a shame, as I find cooking very relaxing.  So I made a decision today--I may not have much of a kitchen (all of 2 feet of counter space), which makes cooking challenging, but I am not going to let that stop me any longer.

Plus which, I got all my fruits and vegetables today.  

Why is cooking so great for me?  I cannot really say.  I didn't grow up with a mom that cooked outside of the meat and potato kind of meal, with a can of vegetables on the side.  So it wasn't until I left home that I realized something fairly startling--I had no idea how to cook.

I could make burgers and a roast, boil potatoes, open a can of vegetables, but I had never really "cooked".  Baked, yes.  My mom was a baker (her home made danish pastries are legend in the family), and so I knew how to make a cake from scratch.  

The only dish I knew how to make from scratch was home-made spaghetti. 

I cannot remember the things I tried to cook early on, or when I became fascinated with food.  I know that I was interested in college.  But when I had my daughter, I only had two cookbooks.  And very little ability to use them.

Today, I have a collection of cookbooks that ranges from the basic (Joy of Cooking) to the exotic (Greek Vegetarian).  And I love them all.  Well, almost all.  

I am anxious for summer and a garden to grow again.  

Meantime, I must satisfy myself with great books about food, books that inspire.  Most recent read: "Comfort Me with Apples" by Ruth Reichl.  I know that "Garlic and Sapphires" has been much more popular, but it isn't as fun.  The other fun read: "Plenty".  This one was written by two journalists in British Columbia (our neighbor to the north) and followed them on their quest to spend an entire year eating local--which they defined as 100 miles from their apartment in any direction.

Now, for a second glass of wine, and after that, perhaps a scan through a great cookbook.